5-day Almaty Region tour: Canyons, lakes and hot springs

Four canyons, three alpine lakes, and a 700-year-old willow in five days

A 5-day private tour of the Almaty region that moves through steppes, semi-deserts, mountains and lakes by SUV, with a professional guide, overnight accommodation and meals. The itinerary strings together Aktau and Katutau mountains, the Singing Dune, Charyn canyons (Temerlik, Bestamak, Moon and Castle Valley), Kolsai lakes and Kaindy Lake, ending back in Almaty. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included. The guide speaks English or Russian.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Almaty to Basshy and mountains

• Start from Almaty hotel or airport
• Stop to try Kazakh cheese Kurt
• Drive to Basshi village and check in
• Have lunch at hotel
• Explore Chalk Mountains of Aktau
• Visit volcanic Katutau mountains
• Stop at 700-year-old Willow and mineral spring
• Dinner at hotel

Day 2: Singing Dune and Zharkent city

• Breakfast at hotel
• Drive to Singing Dune and climb it
• Return and have tea
• Drive to Zharkent city via Tiger Mountains
• Lunch and visit Chinese mosque
• Walk local market
• Visit Chunja hot springs
• Swim in mineral pools
• Dinner at hotel

Day 3: Canyons exploration and Saty village

• Breakfast at hotel
• Drive to Charyn Natural Park canyons
• Visit Temerlik Canyon
• Descend Bestamak Canyon and have lunch
• Visit panoramic viewpoint of Charyn River
• Explore Lunar Canyon
• Drive to Saty village
• Check in guest house and dinner

Day 4: Hiking Kolsai Lakes and village

• Breakfast at guest house
• Hike from lower to middle Kolsai Lake
• Lunch and tea at middle Kolsai Lake
• Return to guest house
• Dinner and evening by fire
• Walk around village

Day 5: Lake Kaindy and Charyn Canyon

• Breakfast at guest house
• Drive to Lake Kaindy and walk around
• Return to Saty for lunch
• Visit Charyn Canyon Castle Valley
• Walk down to Charyn River and have tea
• Return to Almaty with sunset stops
• Visit Bayseit village bazaar
• Drop off at hotel or city

The experience

The tour starts at 8 a.m. from your Almaty hotel or the airport, moving south into the steppes in a comfortable air-conditioned SUV. The first day takes you to Basshi village (a 4-hour drive), then into the Aktau chalk mountains (ancient seabed that rose millions of years ago), where the guide offers hiking routes of varying difficulty. You'll stop at a 700-year-old willow and taste water from a mineral spring before reaching the volcanic cliffs of Katutau, shaped by wind and water into unusual formations.

Day two climbs the Singing Dune (an hour off-road from your hotel), where you reach the top to see the Ili River and surrounding mountains. The guide explains how the sand produces sound. From there you drive two hours through Tiger Mountains to Zharkent, a city where you visit a wooden Chinese mosque and walk the local market, then continue to Chunja hot springs. The pools stay open around the clock at 37–40 degrees Celsius, so you can swim under stars. Day three enters Charyn Natural Park and its four canyons: Temerlik (formed by its namesake river), Bestamak (a wilder version of Castle Valley), Moon Canyon (a clay labyrinth), and the panoramic views of Castle Valley itself. A 40-minute walk through Bestamak Canyon runs alongside the rough Charyn River, where you stop for lunch. You end the day in Saty village, a mountain settlement where you stay in a local guest house and eat traditional Kazakh food.

Days four and five are hiking days. On day four, you hike from lower Kolsai Lake to middle Kolsai (three hours one way), carrying a packed lunch and stopping for herbal tea at the best photo spots. Day five takes you to Kaindy Lake (an hour off-road), where you walk three viewpoints, then returns to Saty for lunch before the final descent into Charyn Canyon's Castle Valley. You walk down into the canyon to reach the river, where the guide serves tea and tells the canyon's story. The drive back to Almaty includes stops at sunset and the Bayseit bazaar, arriving around 9 p.m.

What’s included

• Professional guide and driver speaking English or Russian.
• transport by private air-conditioned SUV.
• hotel pickup and drop-off in Almaty.
• four nights' accommodation (two in hotels, two in a local guest house).
• breakfast each morning.
• bottled water (1.5 liters per person daily).
• all National Park fees.
• entry to Zharkent mosque and access to all canyons, lakes and hot springs.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

AgesUp to age 80

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Russian

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 16 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical effortNot recommended with heart problems

Operated by SUVtours

Is this one for you?This tour suits travelers who hike regularly and want to move through remote landscapes on foot and by vehicle in a single trip. The fixed itinerary packs four canyons, three lakes and hot springs into five days, so the pace is steady and the driving days are long. If you prefer a slower rhythm or fewer stops, a 7-day version of this region would spread the same ground more thinly.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Russian.

What's the Singing Dune and why does it make noise?

The Singing Dune is a sand formation in the steppe near Zharkent where the sand produces sound under certain conditions. On day two, you climb to the top to see the Ili River and mountains, and the guide shows you how the sand creates this effect and the geography that makes it happen.

How much hiking is involved on this tour?

Day four is the main hiking day: a three-hour walk from lower Kolsai Lake to middle Kolsai Lake and back. Days one, three and five include shorter walks (through Aktau and Katutau mountains, down into Bestamak and Moon canyons, and into Castle Valley Canyon to the Charyn River), but the Kolsai hike is the longest single stretch.

What are the accommodations like?

You stay in a mix of hotels and local guest houses. The first two nights are in hotels (Basshi village and the hot springs facility), and nights three and four are in a traditional guest house in Saty village where you eat homemade Kazakh food. All rooms are twin accommodation.

Can I swim in the hot springs?

Yes. On day two you arrive at Chunja hot springs in the evening, where several mineral pools stay open around the clock at 37–40 degrees Celsius. You can swim in the open air under the stars.

What's included in the meals?

Breakfast is provided each morning at your accommodation. On day four, you carry a packed lunch with you on the hike to Kolsai Lake. Other lunches are eaten in local cafés or near the rivers during canyon walks. Dinner is included each evening at your hotel or guest house. Bottled water (1.5 liters per person per day) is provided throughout.

Is this tour private or shared with other travelers?

This is a private tour: you travel in your own SUV with your guide and driver. The vehicle is air-conditioned and sized for your group, and pickup and drop-off happen from your centrally located Almaty accommodation.